The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices and, more particularly, to wireless medical sensors such as those used for pulse oximetry.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In the field of medicine, doctors often desire to monitor certain physiological characteristics of their patients. Accordingly, a wide variety of devices have been developed for monitoring many such physiological characteristics. These devices provide doctors and other healthcare personnel with the information they need to provide the best possible healthcare for their patients. As a result, such monitoring devices have become an indispensable part of modern medicine.
One technique for monitoring certain physiological characteristics of a patient is commonly referred to as pulse oximetry, and the devices built based upon pulse oximetry techniques are commonly referred to as pulse oximeters. Pulse oximetry may be used to measure various blood flow characteristics, such as the blood-oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in arterial blood, the volume of individual blood pulsations supplying the tissue, and/or the rate of blood pulsations corresponding to each heartbeat of a patient.
Pulse oximeters and other types of monitoring devices may use either disposable sensors, which are discarded after a single use, or reusable sensors. These reusable sensors may lower the overall cost of the sensor per use, however the sensors must be thoroughly disinfected after each use.
Such patient sensors may communicate with a patient monitor using a communication cable. For example, a patient sensor may use such a communication cable to send a signal, corresponding to a measurement performed by the sensor, to the patient monitor for processing. However, the use of communication cables may limit the range of applications available, as the cables may limit a patient's range of motion by physically tethering the patient to a monitoring device.
Although wireless patient sensors may transmit information without the need for a communication cable, the sensors may be bulky due to the number of components included in the housing. For example, wireless patient sensors typically employ batteries to power the device, and the sensors also include a wireless module in addition to the sensing devices and other related circuitry. Since batteries afford a limited power source, wireless patient sensors may only be operational for a limited window of time before the battery is depleted and must be recharged or replaced to continue sensor operation. Generally, a battery-powered sensor utilizes a removable battery, which results in a sensor housing with crevices and/or electrical connectors that may increase the difficulty of disinfection.